More Proof That Major Networks
Are Biased Against Our Right
to
Keep and Bear Arms
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"...stories advocating gun
control on ABC, CBS, CNN, and NBC outpaced those opposing by a
ratio of nearly 10 to 1..." |
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A recent study by the Media Research Center (MRC) documents the
palpable anti-gun bias of the major television networks in
reporting firearm-related news. A study released by the MRC
last
year examined 653 morning and evening news stories from July 1,
1997, to June 30, 1999, and found that stories advocating gun
control on ABC, CBS, CNN, and NBC outpaced those opposing by a
ratio of nearly 10 to 1.
The recent study examined the same
period, and showed that the bias advocating more restrictions on
law-abiding gun owners is accompanied by an apparent
unwillingness to cover stories that the pro-Second Amendment
community would like to see.
For example, over the past several years, when NRA spokesmen had
been invited to comment on the debate over gun control on news
programs, they regularly pointed out the failure of the
Clinton-Gore Administration to prosecute armed violent felons.
But the MRC study showed that TV reporters mentioned the drop in
federal prosecutions under Clinton only eight times during the
period studied.
Similarly, NRA has been promoting real
crime-fighting programs such as the "Project Exile" prosecution
model, which originated in Richmond, Va., for several years. The
networks, however, mentioned this program a mere three times over
the period studied. "Project Exile" - a cooperative effort among
local, state, and federal law enforcement and prosecutors -
targets violent felons who violate firearm laws, seeks the most
stringent penalties available, and has been credited with a
dramatic reduction in Richmond's violent gun-related crime.
The lawful, defensive use of firearms by law-abiding citizens is
a subject that has also been widely ignored, according to the
MRC. Although award-winning criminologist Gary Kleck has
estimated that firearms are used as often as 2.5 million times a
year for protection, the networks reported such acts only 12
times out of the 653 firearm-related stories covered.
And while NRA constantly points out that passing new restrictions
on law-abiding gun owners does nothing to reduce crime,
especially in light of the countless laws that are violated in
every high-profile shooting, this argument was mentioned only
five times over the study period.
This latest study complements last year's study, and supports
another MRC study released in 1994. The 1994 study focused solely
on evening news programs from December 1, 1991, to November 30,
1993, and found that 62% of the 107 stories examined devoted
substantially more time to anti-gun arguments than pro-gun. It
also found that news commentators who endorsed gun control
outnumbered those opposed by nearly 2 to 1, and the anti-gun bias
was even more distinct when the story concerned the Brady bill,
expanding to 3 to 1 against the pro-Second Amendment view.
Of
course, advocates of our Right to Keep and Bear Arms have been
painfully aware of this institutional bias for years, but as more
studies report what we already know to be a problem, perhaps the
networks will begin to take notice. If they don't, more and more
viewers will desert them for more objective news sources. If you
would like more information on the MRC and its recent study, go
to its website at www.mrc.org.
Related Stories...
Last Year's MRC Report
More Reports About Media Bias
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